Jared K Lewis
Jared Lewis. And Family
Get Used To It
The song you are hearing is "Zoe Jane" by Staind. The lead singer's name is Aaron Lewis. He wrote the song about his third daughter who was born on a very special day. If you listen closely, the words and the meaning of this song are easy to figure out, and it is about the only song I have ever heard that can just about bring me to tears every time I hear it - no matter how many times I have heard it. My daughter's name is Madison Jean, or "Maddie Jean". With some creative listening, you can swap the names in the song and it might as well be a song I wrote for my daughter.
The Watch
The Watch
I've lost some things. Here and there, this and that. Big things and little I have lost.
No matter what they are, no matter how important, I always seem to lose them right
before I need them and want them the most...
I needed to know what time it was the other day, so I went to put on my watch. That
heavy, clunky metally polished stainless steel watch my parents gave me so long
ago. It was one of the first generation "kinetic" watches. The watch has no
batteries - my parents knew once they ran out, I would forget to replace them. The
watch got power from movement. You see, you had to wear it to keep accurate
time, and at some point, I took it off and put it down. Slowly, the watch ran out of
power - it was not being used - and stopped keeping accurate time. I would pick it
up now and then to see if the correct time was displayed (it never was) and put it
back in my drawer, thinking I will get to it on the weekend. Weekends came and
went, and this watch was slowly replaced by cell phones, computers, MP3 players
etc etc. I forgot about this metal timepiece that now was the most important thing in
the world to me. My wrist seemed to yearn to feel the cool metal on my skin, and the
soft skin on the underside of my wrist anticipated that pinch that comes when the
clips snap together with that satisfying "snik". I wanted to flash the shiny steel at
my friends and co-workers who are now slaves to their digital life. I wanted to
show them how wealthy I feel when this heavy polished metal is attached to my
arm.
But alas. I cannot find my watch. No matter what, I always leave that watch in my
top dresser drawer, right under my socks. At least, that's where I remember leaving
it. It's not there. I open the drawer once again, still no watch. A third time, a fourth.
My magic drawer will not yield it's secret. No watch! Of course by now, my cell
phone reminded me that I was indeed running late, so I terminated my quest for my
heavy clunky steel, grabbed my cell phone, unhooked my MP3 player from my
laptop ( I was downloading digital music through my WiFi connection) and
proceeded toward the door. I got into my car, put the key in the ignition and started
up the engine. My GPS came to life, and I programmed it to take me to work, and to
bypass highways and traffic. While the most efficent and speedy route was being
calculated, I used my cell phone to check the weather for today. Windy and warm,
slight chance of showers this afternoon. I noted that I will have to roll up the
windows when I get to my destination, and recorded the reminder into my MP3
player (it holds 2500 songs) as I plugged it into my car stereo. I drove to work
following the computer devised route promising a smooth 40 minute drive, and an
arrival ten minutes early.
The drive was smooth as expected, and I arrived at the expected time, of course, ten
minutes early. I walked in, sat down, and turned on my computer, and began to
check news from around the world before I started my day. My day went slow, my
computer reminding minute by minute that time does move more slowly when
constantly monitored. The recorded message on my MP3 player was appreciated
as it did sprinkle during the afternoon (glad I came out and shut the windows). I
exchanged emails with Ray in Australia, Yvette in Switzerland, had a conference call
with Phillip in London and ended my day exactly 8.5 hours after it began.
My drive home was uneventful, the GPS had me take a different route home so I
could avoid construction. I grabbed my cell phone, called my wife and let her know
that I should be home in about 18 minutes, and arrived at the expected time. We
had dinner, efficiently cooked in our microwave and served on "green" diposable
plates. I turned on the TV to our HD channels and watched a program in full 1080p
format.
After my show, I went to the bedroom and changed. Out of the corner of my eye, I
saw something flash under the bed. I finished changing and bent down to take a
look. MY WATCH!!! I found it!!! It was here all this time. Of course, the right time
wasn't displayed, it would have to be worn for a few days to get a good charge.
Since I was really not going to be moving that much this evening (my wife rented a
movie from the on-demand network our cable provider offers), I put my watch in my
top drawer, right under the socks. I would get to it this weekend. I plugged my cell
phone to charge, plugged my MP3 player into the laptop to finish loading songs I
downloaded and left the bedroom to join my wife in the living room. I paused as I
left my bedroom, and looked back at my dresser. I was forgetting something,
something very important, but I could not recall what it was. I sighed as I turned out
the light, and joined my wife in the living room.
No matter what they are, no matter how important, I always seem to lose them right
before I need them and want them the most...
I needed to know what time it was the other day, so I went to put on my watch. That
heavy, clunky metally polished stainless steel watch my parents gave me so long
ago. It was one of the first generation "kinetic" watches. The watch has no
batteries - my parents knew once they ran out, I would forget to replace them. The
watch got power from movement. You see, you had to wear it to keep accurate
time, and at some point, I took it off and put it down. Slowly, the watch ran out of
power - it was not being used - and stopped keeping accurate time. I would pick it
up now and then to see if the correct time was displayed (it never was) and put it
back in my drawer, thinking I will get to it on the weekend. Weekends came and
went, and this watch was slowly replaced by cell phones, computers, MP3 players
etc etc. I forgot about this metal timepiece that now was the most important thing in
the world to me. My wrist seemed to yearn to feel the cool metal on my skin, and the
soft skin on the underside of my wrist anticipated that pinch that comes when the
clips snap together with that satisfying "snik". I wanted to flash the shiny steel at
my friends and co-workers who are now slaves to their digital life. I wanted to
show them how wealthy I feel when this heavy polished metal is attached to my
arm.
But alas. I cannot find my watch. No matter what, I always leave that watch in my
top dresser drawer, right under my socks. At least, that's where I remember leaving
it. It's not there. I open the drawer once again, still no watch. A third time, a fourth.
My magic drawer will not yield it's secret. No watch! Of course by now, my cell
phone reminded me that I was indeed running late, so I terminated my quest for my
heavy clunky steel, grabbed my cell phone, unhooked my MP3 player from my
laptop ( I was downloading digital music through my WiFi connection) and
proceeded toward the door. I got into my car, put the key in the ignition and started
up the engine. My GPS came to life, and I programmed it to take me to work, and to
bypass highways and traffic. While the most efficent and speedy route was being
calculated, I used my cell phone to check the weather for today. Windy and warm,
slight chance of showers this afternoon. I noted that I will have to roll up the
windows when I get to my destination, and recorded the reminder into my MP3
player (it holds 2500 songs) as I plugged it into my car stereo. I drove to work
following the computer devised route promising a smooth 40 minute drive, and an
arrival ten minutes early.
The drive was smooth as expected, and I arrived at the expected time, of course, ten
minutes early. I walked in, sat down, and turned on my computer, and began to
check news from around the world before I started my day. My day went slow, my
computer reminding minute by minute that time does move more slowly when
constantly monitored. The recorded message on my MP3 player was appreciated
as it did sprinkle during the afternoon (glad I came out and shut the windows). I
exchanged emails with Ray in Australia, Yvette in Switzerland, had a conference call
with Phillip in London and ended my day exactly 8.5 hours after it began.
My drive home was uneventful, the GPS had me take a different route home so I
could avoid construction. I grabbed my cell phone, called my wife and let her know
that I should be home in about 18 minutes, and arrived at the expected time. We
had dinner, efficiently cooked in our microwave and served on "green" diposable
plates. I turned on the TV to our HD channels and watched a program in full 1080p
format.
After my show, I went to the bedroom and changed. Out of the corner of my eye, I
saw something flash under the bed. I finished changing and bent down to take a
look. MY WATCH!!! I found it!!! It was here all this time. Of course, the right time
wasn't displayed, it would have to be worn for a few days to get a good charge.
Since I was really not going to be moving that much this evening (my wife rented a
movie from the on-demand network our cable provider offers), I put my watch in my
top drawer, right under the socks. I would get to it this weekend. I plugged my cell
phone to charge, plugged my MP3 player into the laptop to finish loading songs I
downloaded and left the bedroom to join my wife in the living room. I paused as I
left my bedroom, and looked back at my dresser. I was forgetting something,
something very important, but I could not recall what it was. I sighed as I turned out
the light, and joined my wife in the living room.